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History · Kensington

Kensington dates to 1887, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1910.

1887founded
0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Kensington began

When was Kensington founded?

1887

Kensington dates its founding to 1887 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 497 in 19102020 census: 399139 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

What stands out about Kensington’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Kensington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18933 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1985. Watch Kensington change.Boom and bustPeaked at 681 in 1980; 399 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kensington’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Kensington’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Kensington on the map, 1893 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Kensington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Kensington on the 1893 USGS mapKensington on the 1973 USGS mapKensington on the 1985 USGS map1893Phillipsburg sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Kensington.

People over time

Kensington, census by census

0100200300400500600700192019401960198020002020Peak: 681

Peaked at 681 in 1980; 399 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Kensington’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Kensington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kensington.

Read it all →

Kensington was founded circa 1887. It was incorporated as a city in 1900.

Kensington was considered a discordant community in 1892. Many of the husbands and wives lived apart from each other and the society was deemed "broken up on account of it".

Kensington was located on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

The first post office in Kensington was established in January 1888.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Kensington, 1887 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887
    FoundingKensington is established
  3. 1888Post officeThe Kensington post office opens
  4. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1945Born hereJanis Lee is born here
  7. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 681
By decade

Kensington, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Kensington, KS2021Kensington, KSKensington, KS 22021Kensington, KS 2KSMap-doton-Kensington2005KSMap-doton-Kensington
Every building

Kensington, building by building, 1911

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Kensington fire insurance map, 1911, sheet 11911Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Questions about Kensington’s history

What year was Kensington founded?

In 1887, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Kensington’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1910 counted 497 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.